PolitiFinder

1978 Tennessee Gubernatorial Election

Tennessee · 2 candidates · See every 1978 Governor race

Who won the 1978 Tennessee Gubernatorial Election?

Lamar Alexander won the 1978 Tennessee Gubernatorial Election. Lamar Alexander received 661,959 popular votes (55.84%). The main challenger was Jake Butcher (44.16%).

See the full head-to-head between Alexander and Butcher

Alexander +11.7 pts · won by 138,464 votes
Lamar AlexanderRepublicanWINNER55.84%
661,959 votes
Jake ButcherDemocratic44.16%
523,495 votes
Popular-vote totals for governor elections are compiled from official state results (via Wikipedia); Louisiana shows the decisive round of its jungle primary.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.